Coupler-lock-releasing device



Feb. 16 1926. 1,573,434

F. M. WHYTE COUPLER LOCK RELEASING DEVICE Filed Sept- 24. 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 /8 Q a 5 7 7 /6 r l 49 6 g 8 l I A n /4 g; I /3 I /0 0 Q m h I l a a INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 16 1926. F. M. WHYTE COUPLER LOCK RELEASING DEVICE File pt. 24, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 16 1926.

F. M. WHYTE COUPLER LOCK RELEASING DEVICE Filed Sept. 24, 1924 IiSheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

FREDERIC llI. WI-IYTE, OF TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK.

COUPLER-LOCK-RELEASING DEVICE.

Application filed September 24, 1924. Serial No. 739,620.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRI-JDERIC M. WI-nan, a. citizen of the United States of America, residing at 'larrytown, in the county of \Vestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CouplerLock-Releasing Devices,

'of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

r The invention relates to mechanisms for raising the locking blocks of car couplers and it has for its main object the provision of a simple mechanism which may be operated either as a lever or as a rockshaft for lifting the locking block.

Another object of the invention is to so i shape the handle end of the lever or rock shown i shaft as to preclude the use of such handle as a step. lVere the operating handle horizontal. it might happen that brakemen of freight trains would step on it and thereby inadvertently lift the locking block and release the coupler; It is one of the objects of this invention to so shape the release lever at its outer end that it will not afford a stepping place for the brakemen.

It is ver desirable that the possibility of operating the device as a lever and as a rockshaft be indicatedin a suitable manner to those persons whose duty it may be to which pressure is to be exerted downwardly to operate the device as a lever and extend ing downwardly the other finger on which a pull forwardly from the end of the car to be exerted to operate the device as a rock shaft.

There are other important objects and advantages of. the invention which will fully hereinafter appear.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of the end of a railway freight'car showing the invention applied thereto;

l ig.v a plan view of the mechanism Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a perspective view of the mechanism detached from the car;

Fig; 4% a detail perspective view of the bracket on which the release lever is fulcrnmed;

Fig. 5 a detail perspective view of the hanger which pivotally supports the inner end of the release lever;

Fig. (5 a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the locking block released by (l (pressing the outer end of the release lever;

Fig. 7 a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the locking block released by a partial rotation of the release lever;

Fig. 8 an end elevation of the mechanism with the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 a view similar to Fig. 8 with the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 a view similar to Fig. 1 showing thecoupler locking block connected directlv to the end of the main lever; u

FigQll a plan view of the device shown in F ig. l0;

Fig. 12 a perspective view of the device shown in Fig. 10; and

Fig. 13 adetail view of the handle end of a modified form of the operating lever.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, l designates a portion of a freight car-body to which the coupler and its containedl-znuckle (not shown) is attached in any suitable manner. The coupler knuckle is usually locked in its coupled, position hv a locking block 2. This locking block must be lifted to release the coupler knuckle. This is common practice and it is thought to he unnecessary to illustrate the and coupler knuckle. The locking block is sometimes connected to a release mecllanism by a link 3, said linl: providing a flexible connection between the locking block and the releasing mechanism and permitting a limited longitudinal and lateral oscillation of the coupler in its support. Sometimes the inner end of a secondary lever is extended through the hole in the exposed top of the locking block. It will, of course, be understood that any form of connection mav he providedbetween the locking block and the releasing mechanism. i

The releasing mechanism consists of a main lever 4: which is suspended in a horizontal position at the end of the car from brackets 5 and 6. These brackets are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the end 01 the car or to the car sill and the main lever is suspended from said brackets in such a manner as to permit the inner end coupler end thereof. Positioning the hanger 9 be-,

of the lever to swing upwardly and to permit the lever to have abodily forward and upward swinging movement. The outer bracket 5' is formed with side flanges 7 whichare 'apertured to receive a pivot bolt 8. The aperture in the inner flange 7 is a vertical slot 7 to permit of a limited vertical oscillation of the inner end of the bolt 8. The lower portions of the flanges 7, below the bolt 8, are cut away, as shown clearly in Fig. 4, to permit the operating lever to be suspended from the bolt 8 by means of a hanger 9. This hanger is in the form of a strap securely bolted to the sides of the lever & and extending up over the bolt 8; This form of support permits the lever to have a forward rocking motion away from the car end while preventing a backward rocking motion and at the same time permits the inner end of the lever to be lifted by depressing the outer or handle tween the flanges 7 limits the longitudinal movement of lever 4. The outer end portion of the lever 4 beyond the hanger 9 is inclined downwardly and outwardly, the

. angle of the upperv surface of said down wardly inclined portion of the lever being "such that the brakemen will not use it as 13, and the extreme inner end of the portion 12 is bent forwardly to form a short horizontal forwardly extending crank portion A hanger 15 is rigidly secured to the inner portion 12 of the releasing lever and extends upwardly and inwardly therefrom. This hanger extends around a supporting bolt 16 which passes horizontally through slots 17 in the side flanges 18 of the bracket 6. The position and length of these slots may be proportioned to limit the vertical movement of the lever. These side flanges are concent ie on arcs struck from the point where the outer edge .of the hanger 9 engages the upper surface of the bolt 8 and limits the longitudinal movement of the lever. V The longitudinal edges of the hanger 1 5 are parallel with the side flanges 18,- as clearlyshown in 1 and 6, and the upper part flts between said flanges. The hanger 15 extends upwardly and rearwardly to tliebracket 6 and the hanger bolt 16 is in substantially the same vertical plane as the main. body part 11 and. the handle part mental lever member 19.

10 of the release lever. Because of the forwardly off-set portions 12 and 13 the lever 4% tends to swing rearwardly toward the car body and the main body part 11 directly engages the edges of the flanges '7 of the bracket 5 (Fig. 8) said flanges preventing any rearward turning movement of the release lever on the bolts 8 and 16 when the outer end 1O of" said lever is depressed to raise the coupler lock, and also when said lever is in its normal locking position. The flanges 7 also serve as a stop to hold the main lever in its normal or locking position and the arm let of Figs. 10, 11 and 12 from resting on the coupler head. The hanger 15 is longer than the hanger 9 and bolt 16 is in a horizontal plane above the plane of the bolt 8. 'llhehanger S) loosely engages the bolt; 8 and the inner end of said bolt is free to move up and down'in the slot 7 in the flange 7. The hanger 15 loosely engages the bolt 16 and said, bolt is free to move up and down in the slots 17, said bolts in the normal locking position of the lever 4 resting at the bottom'of said slots. The respective lengths of the slots limit the vertical movement, both upper and lower, of lever These loose connections permit the releaseleverto have a forward rocking movement when it is used as a crank or rock shaft for lifting the coupler lock, and also permit the lifting of the inner end of the lever 4; when the outer end thereof is depressed. iVhen the handle 10 of the lever is pulled away from the car body the lever swings forwardly and upwardly and tends to rock about an axis pass-v ing through the two hanger bolts. The loose connections between the parts permit this peculiar rocking motion.

Loosely pivoted on the bolt 8 between the flanges, 7 is an inwardly extending supple- The innerend of this supplemental lever member passes through an elongated opening in the for-. wardly bent portion 1l-of the main lever and said inwardly extending end of the supplemental lever engages the link?) which is connected to the locking block. The supplemental lever may rest upon the forwardly bent portion 14 but I prefer the elongated opening in 14. The supplemental lever member is free to rotate on the bolt 8 when the main lever is rocked forwardly as a crank. This loose connection with the bolt 8 permits the inner end of said,supplemental lever member tobe raised by the inner end of the main lever and thus raise-the lock.

The forwardly extending apertured portions of the flanges, 7 servev as stops to prevent the handle end of the lever fi'om being I lifted or raised. It will therefore be clearly understood that the lever can be moved only downwardly, when operating as a lifting lever, or forwardly when operating as a lifting crank or rock shaft. Except for any Fig. 6.

main body of the lever.

little twisting there may be in the main lever the inner end lei of the main lever remains at a fixed angle with the outer end 10 of the main lever, both when the device is being operated and not operated because when the device is operated as a lever and when at rest the inner vertical side of the mainlever 18 of this bracket are concentric to permit the hanger to move in an are as shown in The hanger 9 will rock endwise on the bolt 6, said bolt serving as a fulcrum for the lever. 3 The inner end of the bolt 8 will lift slightly and follow the lifting movement of the supplemental lever member 19 and the mner portion of the main lever. Vfhen the handle portion of the lever is pulled forwardly away from the car body as shown in Fig.7 the inner ends ofthe main and supplemental levers will swing forwardly and upwardly, and there will be a slight tilting movement of the bolt 8 and an upward shifting: of'the bolt 16 and the hanger 15. In order that the main lever may be operated as a rock shaft it is necessary to offset the handle lOrfrom the longitudinal axis of the For this reason the handle is inclined downwardly and outwardly a sufficient amount to provide the necessary crank leverage, and the upper surface of this handle is inclined sufiiciently to discourage the brakemen from stepping upon it when it is not desired to raise the coupler lock.

The supplemental lever member 19 is shown as fulcrumed on the bolt 8, but it may be fulcruined at any other suitable point. The movement of the handle 10 forwardly away from the car body as a crank is limited only by the amount of movement of the lock 2 and the slack in the connections, whereas the downward movement of the handle 10 is limited by the slots 7 and 17, either one separately or both together. i

In Figs. 10 to 12 inclusive the coupler locking block is shown as connected directly to the forwardly extending arm of thesingle lever; The lever is supported on the brackets 5 and 6 precisely as shown in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive and is operated in precisely the same manner both as a lever and as a rock shaft. The operation is precisely as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive except that .the supplemental lever 19 is omitted and the locking block is connected to the end of the single lever directly by link. The slots 7* and 1'7, separately or together, limit the movement of the lever in a vertical plane and its rotation about a horizontal axis.

The main lever, in both of the arrangements shown in the drawings, extends outwardly to the side of the car and the side flanges on the brackets prevent longitudinal movement of the lever in its support. As shownin Figs. 10 to 12 inclusive the outer end of the handle 10 is bent rearwardly and extends under the car thereby providing a convenient means for manipulating the lever.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A releasing device for car coupler locks comprising a bar adapted to be arranged at one end of the car and extend transversely thereof, a plurality of spaced supporting members, means for pivotally suspending the said bar in said members, one of said suspending means being longer than the other whereby when the bar is rotated on its suspending means the inner end of said bar will have a greater movement than the outer end thereof, and means adapted to flexibly connect the inner end of said bar to the coupler lock.

2. A releasing device for car coupler locks comprising a bar adapted to be arranged at one end of the car and to extend transversely thereof, a pair of spaced outer and inner bar-supporting members adapted to be fixed to the car, a pair of spaced outer and inner bar-suspending members carried by the bar, a combined fulcrum and pivotal connection between said outer suspending and outer supporting members, a vertically shiftable pivotal connection between the said inner suspending and inner supporting members, whereby the bar may be swung upwardly about said .pivotal connections and may be tilted vertically about said fulcrum connection, and means adapted to flexibly connect the inner end of the bar to the coupler lock.

3. A releasing device for car coupler locks comprising a bar adapted to be arranged at one end of the car and to extend transversely thereof, a pail of spaced outer and inner bar-supporting members adapted to be fixed to the car, an outer bar suspending member carried by the bar, an inner barsuspending member carried by the bar and having a greater length than said outer suspending member, a combined fulcrum and pivotal connection between said outer suspending and outer supporting members, a vertically shiftable pivotal connection between said inner suspending and inner supporting members, whereby the bar may be tilted vertically about said fulcrum connection and may be swung upwardly about said pivotal connections, the inner end of the bar having a greater swinging movement than the outer end of he bar due to the greater length of the inner suspending member, and means adapted to flexibly connect the inner end of the bar to the coupler lock. 7

t. A releasing device for car coupler locks comprising a bar adapted to be arranged at one end of'the car and to extend transversely thereof, spaced outer and inner barsupporting members adapted to be fixed to the car, an outer bar-suspending member extending upwardly from the bar, an inner bar-suspendingmember extending upwardly from the bar and of greater length than said outer suspending member, an outer pivot, pin mounted in the outer supporting member and pivotally connecting the upper end of the outer suspending member thereto, an inner pivot pin mounted in the inner supporting member and pivot-ally connecting the upper end of the inner suspending member thereto, the outer supporting member being slotted to permit said outer pivot pin to tilt vertically, and the inner supporting member being slotted to permit the said inner pivot pin to be bodily shifted vertically, whereby the bar may be tilted vertically about the outer supporting member as a fulcrum and may be swung upwardly about the said pivot pins, and means adapted to flexibly connect the inner end of the bar to the coupler lock.

5. A releasing device for car coupler locks comprising a main bar adapted to be arranged at one end of the car and to extend transversely thereof, a pair of spacedouter and inner bar-supporting members adapted to be fixed to the car, a pair of spaced outer and inner bar-suspending members carried by the bar, a combined fulcrum and pivotal connection between said outer-suspending and outer supporing members, a vertically shiftable pivotal connection between the said inner suspending and inner supporting members, whereby the bar may be swung upwardly about said pivotal connections and may be tilted vertically about said fulcrum connection, and a supplemental bar extending longitudinally along the main bar and connected at its outer end to the main bar and adjacent its inner end to the inner end of the main bar, the said inner end of the supplemental bar-extendinginwardly be-; yond the end of the main bar and being adapted to be connected to the coupler lock.

6. A releasing device for car coupler locks comprising a bar adapted to be arranged at one end of the car and to extend transversely thereof, a pair of spaced outer and inner a combined fulcrum and pivotal connection between the said outer suspending and outer supporting members, a vertically shlftable pivotal connection between said inner an arcuate guide for the said shiftable pivj otal connection. a i r 7. A releasing ClQVlCQ for car coupler locks comprising a bar adapted to be arranged at one end of the car and'to extend transverse ly thereof, a pair of spacedouter and inner bar-supporting members adapted to be fixed to the car, a pair of spaced outer and inner bar suspending members carried by the bar, a combined fulcrum and pivotal connection between said outer suspending and outer supporting member and located above the bar, a vertically shiftable pivotal connection between said inner suspending and inner supporting members and located above the bar, whereby the bar maybe swung for wardly and upwardly about said pivotal connections and may be tilted upwardly aboutsaid fulcrum connection and means adapted to flexibly connect the inner end of the bar to the coupler locln x 8. A releasing'device for car coupler locks comprising a baradapted to be arranged at one end of the car and to extend transversely thereof, a pair of spaced outer and inner bar-supporting members adapted to be fixed to the car, a pair of spaced outer and inner bar-suspending members carried by the bar,

pivotal connections between said suspending members and the said supporting members located above the bar, one of said suspending members being longer than the other whereby when thebaris swung on said pivotal connections its inner endwill have greater movement than its outerend, and

bar-supporting members adapted to be fixed tothe car, an outerbar suspending member carried by the bar, an inner bar-suspending member carried by the bar and having a greater length than said outer suspending member, a combined fulcrum and pivotal connection. between said outer suspending and outer supporting members and located above the bar, a vertically shiftable piv-- otal connectionbetween said inner suspending and inner supporting. members and located above the bar, whereby the bar may be tilted vertically. about said fulcrun'i connection and may be swung forwardly and upwardly about said pivotal connections, the inner end of the bar having a greater move,-

ment than the outer end due to the greater length of the inner suspending member, and means adapted to flexibly connect the inner end of the bar to the coupler lock.

10. A releasing device for car coupler locks comprising a bar adapted to be arranged at one side of the car and to extend transversely thereof, a pair of spaced inner and outer bar-supporting members adapted to be fixed to the car, a pair of bar-suspending members rigid with the bar and extendmg upwardly from it adjacent its ends,

connections between said suspending members and supporting members adapted to permit the bar to be swung forwardly about said connections and to be tilted vertically, the outer end of the bar being inclined downwardly from a point adjacent the outer supporting member, and means adjacent the inner supporting member adapted to flexibly connect the bar with the coupler lock.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ahix my signature.

FREDERIG M. W HYTF. 

